Brazil has the second-largest cattle herd in the world and is a major exporter of beef. While ranching in the Amazon-and its destructive environmental consequences-receives attention from both the ...media and scholars, the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul actually host the most cattle. A significant beef producer in Brazil beginning in the late nineteenth century, the region served as a laboratory for raising cattle in the tropics, where temperate zone ranching practices do not work. Mato Grosso ranchers and cowboys transformed ranching's relationship with the environment, including the introduction of an exotic cattle breed-the Zebu-that now dominates Latin American tropical ranching.
Cattle in the Backlandspresents a comprehensive history of ranching in Mato Grosso. Using extensive primary sources, Robert W. Wilcox explores three key aspects: the economic transformation of a remote frontier region through modern technical inputs; the resulting social changes, especially in labor structures and land tenure; and environmental factors, including the long-term impact of ranching on ecosystems, which, he contends, was not as detrimental as might be assumed. Wilcox demonstrates that ranching practices in Mato Grosso set the parameters for tropical beef production in Brazil and throughout Latin America. As the region was incorporated into national and international economic structures, its ranching industry experienced the entry of foreign investment, the introduction of capitalized processing facilities, and nascent discussions of ecological impacts-developments that later affected many sectors of the Brazilian economy.
Calf diarrhea is associated with enteric infections, and also provokes the overuse of antibiotics. Therefore, proper treatment of diarrhea represents a therapeutic challenge in livestock production ...and public health concerns. Here, we describe the ability of a fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), to ameliorate diarrhea and restore gut microbial composition in 57 growing calves. We conduct multi-omics analysis of 450 longitudinally collected fecal samples and find that FMT-induced alterations in the gut microbiota (an increase in the family Porphyromonadaceae) and metabolomic profile (a reduction in fecal amino acid concentration) strongly correlate with the remission of diarrhea. During the continuous follow-up study over 24 months, we find that FMT improves the growth performance of the cattle. This first FMT trial in ruminants suggest that FMT is capable of ameliorating diarrhea in pre-weaning calves with alterations in their gut microbiota, and that FMT may have a potential role in the improvement of growth performance.
A day old crossbred calf was presented with knuckling of both fore limbs. Z-tenotomy with plaster of paris cast was performed. Skin sutures were removed on seventh post-operative day confirming ...recovery. Keywords: Calf; knuckling; tenotomy
Three bovine including two cows and one surti buffalo with large size oral cavity growth occluding lower jaw were diagnosed as odontoma as per clinical and radiographical findings. All three bovine ...underwent planned radical surgery for partial mandibulectomy with Xylaxine and bilateral mental nerve block using local anesthetic. Odontomal masses were successfully resected and all three animals showed uneventful recovery with timely post-operative care. Recurrence of growth was not observed even after a year. Keywords: Bovine; mandibulectomy; odontoma, radical surgery
Six cattle with tendon rupture were presented for diagnosis and treatment. Two cattle showed rupture of Achilles tendon, three animals showed rupture of superficial digital flexor tendon and one ...animal showed rupture of both superficial and deep digital flexor tendon. Three animals were recumbent after injury, while other three animals showed knuckling of fetlock joint since injury. Surgical repair by tenorrhaphy using Modified Bunnell Mayer suture technique using four layered braided silk was successfully undertaken. Non weight bearing Modified Thomas splint cast along with Plaster of Paris cast support was applied on affected limb for effective immobilization until 45 days. All animals recovered uneventfully with complete weight bearing on affected limb, without any lameness in five animals and mild degree lameness in one animal. Keywords: Achilles tendon; digital flexor tendon; tenorrhaphy
Though Greece is traditionally seen as an agrarian society, cattle were essential to Greek communal life, through religious sacrifice and dietary consumption. Cattle were also pivotal in mythology: ...gods and heroes stole cattle, expected sacrifices of cattle, and punished those who failed to provide them. The Cattle of the Sun ranges over a wealth of sources, both textual and archaeological, to explore why these animals mattered to the Greeks, how they came to be a key element in Greek thought and behavior, and how the Greeks exploited the symbolic value of cattle as a way of structuring social and economic relations.
Based on sixteen years of fieldwork among the pastoral Turkana people, McCabe examines how individuals use the land and make decisions about mobility, livestock, and the use of natural resources in ...an environment characterized by aridity, unpredictability, insecurity, and violence. The Turkana are one of the world's most mobile peoples, but understanding why and how they move is a complex task influenced by politics, violence, historical relations among ethnic groups, and the government, as well as by the arid land they call home. As one of the original members of the South Turkana Ecosystem Project, McCabe draws on a wealth of ecological data in his analysis. His long-standing relationship with four Turkana families personalize his insights and conclusions, inviting readers into the lives of these individuals, their families, and the way they cope with their environment and political events in daily life.